Family Portrait
by RavenHeart101
Summary: "I won't let them take you away from me, okay? They can't touch us. I'm eighteen. They can't separate us." Due to unforeseen circumstances Cooper Anderson ends up his brother's guardian at the age of eighteen. An alternate look at the story of Neal Caffrey and Blaine Anderson with reoccurring characters in Peter Burke, Mozzie, Sebastian Smythe, Quinn Fabray, and Santana Lopez.


Family Portrait

By: RavenHeart101

Summary: "I won't let them take you away from me, okay? They can't touch us. I'm eighteen. They can't separate us." Due to unforeseen circumstances Cooper Anderson ends up his brother's guardian at the age of eighteen.

**Warnings**: Male/Male relationships, bromance, AU (so a sort of disregard for newly revealed canon. Well, some of it anyway. I'm going to try to keep it as close to WC canon as possible). A Blaine story that's not going to be Klaine.

A: N – A new sort of epic story by me (And I mean epic like 37 Reasons to Stay epic.). This story is inspired by Pink's song "Family Portrait" and way too much time trying to think up ways movies could be better. This story will be Plaine in the future unless things somehow change.

* * *

When Cooper was eighteen he had plans. None of those plans consisted of raising his younger brother.

Being there for him? Yes. Of course. Cooper would always try to be there for Blaine. But raising him? That wasn't anywhere near his future agenda. But, somehow, that's what ended up happening. It seemed as though it would have happened whether he was ready for it – whether he wanted it – or not. There was nothing Cooper could have done to change the fact that it happened. He just had to grit and bare it.

Well, he didn't have to. He could very easily call in Child Services and have Blaine be put into a foster home or adoption agency. And, for a time, he had actually thought about doing just that.

He had thought about packing his bags and going out to school in California like he had originally planned. He had thought about moving Blaine out with him. He had thought about doing a lot of things with Blaine, actually. None of them consisted of him actually taking care of him.

Until that suddenly became the only option that he could see actually happening.

It had been a nice day out – not like the way movies make days like this – it was sunny and had a gentle breeze. It was the middle of summer and Cooper had just gotten all of his classes set up for college the next year. He had been talking to his girlfriend – Katie – on the phone when the knock came. Blaine was playing with some action figures – and the Barbies that Katie had given him that he kept hidden in a box in his closet so that their parents didn't take them away – quietly on the floor at his feet. Cooper gave a hasty goodbye to Katie – giving her a promise to call her back as soon as he could – and passed by his brother, smiling a bit at him as Blaine grumbled when Cooper ruffled his hair.

He swung open the ornate door and stopped dead in his tracks.

A man in a nice suit – dark blue with a yellow undershirt – and a police officer – this one a woman in the typical police officer get up – stood on the other side, a serious look on her face. The man sent a smile his one, one that was supposed to be disarming but honestly just set Cooper up for more worry than he had felt before. "Good afternoon." Cooper forced politeness, glancing to his left where he could see Blaine still playing with his dolls in the living room through a tiny glass window, a small smile on the eight year olds face.

"Good afternoon, Mister Anderson." The officer spoke in a crisp and clear voice, professional until the end of time, it seemed. Cooper couldn't help the apprehension that crept up his spine at the look on her face. "We were wondering if we could speak to your parents. Or whoever's watching over you at this point in time."

Suspicion made Cooper's eyes turn almost hostile, the blue irises darkening so that they shone in a light different than the one the officer was expecting. "I'm eighteen. I don't need a babysitter." He crossed his arms stubbornly over his chest, glancing again to see that Blaine was glancing up him every once in a while, his teeth gnawing at his bottom lip in curious worry. Cooper smiled at him the best he could, wishing that their parents actually were there so that he could go back to talking to Katie on the phone and worrying about what he was going to pack for his first week of college (because his parents were going to drive to California with Blaine and all his other stuff later).

"May we come in, Mister Anderson?" The man asked with a small, nervous, smile. He looked young, probably around twenty five. He looked like a normal person, not too attractive and not too boring. Cooper felt as though he looked like that on purpose, like he was trying to get them to trust him for something. That only set him on edge even more.

Still, he nodded and stepped into the house, holding the door open for them (because he had manners, he just didn't like to use them). He didn't want them to go any farther into the house, yet it seemed as though they assumed that he would let them, walking passed him and into the living room, both stopping short for a moment when they caught sight of Blaine, his dolls laying on the floor in front of him, his hazel eyes wide and untrusting. Especially of the police woman. Cooper slightly resented the fact that he had let Blaine watch Law and Order with him the night before.

"Come here, Blaine." Cooper ordered, his little brother scrambling into the seat next to him on the couch, leaning into Cooper's body as the police officer stood in front of them, an almost gentle look taking over her face when she saw how scared Blaine obviously was. The man, however, had a frown on his face, causing Cooper to tighten his grip on the younger boy.

"Mister Anderson…" The woman began, looking over at the man for help.

He cleared his throat, sitting down next to them on the couch, Blaine moving his feet so that he was almost curled completely into Cooper's side. Cooper found his hand resting on his little brother's forehead as he turned his face into Cooper's stomach. Blaine was shy but he was never this shy. "It has come to our attention, Mister Anderson that your parents have been away for a long time."

"Yeah." Cooper nodded slowly, wondering where exactly this was going. "They're on an extended vacation. They told me that they were going to be gone for most of the summer but they'd be back in time for me to get to school."

The man let out a long sigh, looking back up at the police officer. The woman looked almost uncomfortable; her hands holding onto her hips as though putting them there would make the situation better. All it really did was give Cooper and Blaine a nicer view of the gun strapped to her belt. "Mister Anderson… some family friends have expressed concern that your parents aren't going to be coming back."

And that's when Cooper's life changed and he couldn't help flashing back to the last time he had seen his parents. His father had been giving him a hug goodbye and telling him to be good and his mother had been looking even more teary eyed than usual and they had slipped him all the passwords and account numbers for their bank accounts and whatnot. And then they were gone, both giving Blaine a tight hug and sliding into their taxi and driving off to the airport. Since then they hadn't called or emailed. Not that Cooper really expected them to, since they had said that they were going somewhere with horrible cellphone reception but it was still worrisome. Or at least it was now that this police officer and man were sitting there telling him that they had concern that their parents wouldn't be coming back.

"Mister Anderson… I'm afraid that if your parents aren't back in a few days we're going to have to take your brother into protective custody."

Cooper felt his stomach drop and he felt Blaine hold him just a little closer and bury his face just a little more and he stared at the man with wide eyes. "Get out." He said softly, anger burning in his words.

"Mister Anderson please." The man stressed. "There is no shame in not being able to take care of someone so young."

"Get out!" Cooper yelled, Blaine jumping at his sudden change of voice. But Cooper couldn't worry about that now. He couldn't worry about that at all right now. "My parents are coming back, sir, ma'm." They looked at him with saddened eyes, as though they were pitying his naivety. "And when they do I will be sure to tell them exactly what it is that you were threatening."

He stood up and showed them out, the two turning around in their driveway to stare at the livid teenager who stood in the doorway, staring at them until they get in their car and drove away.

"Coop?" Blaine asked slowly when Cooper sunk back into the couch next to him. "Mommy and daddy are coming home, right?"

Cooper ignored the burning at the corner of his eyes and held out his arms for his brother to settle into, holding him close and resting his cheek on top of his hair. "Of course." He muttered, trying to push back the voice that told him that the officers might have actually have been right – his parents could actually be gone, and then where would he be? What would he do? He couldn't take care of a four year old all by himself. He wasn't cut out for this.

Blaine stayed the night in his bed for the next few days, curled up on the opposite side of his bed, breathing gently and mumbling in his sleep, hugging his stuffed Simba to his chest, his thumb in his mouth. Cooper hadn't been able to sleep and he found himself sneaking downstairs almost every three hours to call their parents. His calls were never answered, his emails were never returned and, two days later, at ten in the morning when Cooper was out buying a new box of cereal and Blaine was over at their neighbors for the ten minutes it would take him to get the box, the man and police officer showed up at their house once more.

It wasn't a happy sight that Cooper came home to; the woman's police car parked in front of his house, the man trying to talk Blaine down from the tree he was currently hiding up in, Simba clutched tightly to his chest, his eyes watering in a dangerous way. Mrs. Sampson had a hand to her mouth, her lips trembling in a way to keep the tears at bay as the man tried to coax Blaine down from the tree. But if there was anything his brother was, it was stubborn and if the man had given Blaine no reason to trust him he wasn't going to come down for him.

"Mister Anderson." The woman police officer – Officer Linder he had learned her name was – took a step towards Cooper, a frown on her face but her body ready for the fight that was, no doubt, about to happen. "We need your help getting your brother down from the tree." She nodded over at where Blaine was staring at him with wide eyes, a few tears brimming over his eyelids.

Cooper's heart broke. "No." He shook his head, closing his car door with a slam. "Stay up there Blaine." His little brother nodded quickly, settling his legs under his body so that he was more comfortable.

"Mister Anderson." The officer let out a loud sigh. "We need to take him with us."

"No you don't." Cooper pressed, making his way over to the tree Blaine was in, reaching up his arm and tapping his brother's dangling Power Ranger's sneaker.

"Blaine come on down from the tree." The man tried again.

"Stay where you are, Bee." Cooper turned back to the adults, trying to ignore the sniffles he could hear coming from Blaine's mouth. "You can't take him."

"Mister Anderson, if you are going to keep getting in the way-"

"I'm eighteen." The officer's mouth snapped shut. "Legally, I can be his guardian." Blaine's hand reached down so that Cooper could help him down, the four year old clinging to Cooper's side and staring at the adults with his watery eyes that no one in their right mind could deny.

"I don't think you understand what it means to take care of a four year old." The man said patiently, gently, and Cooper wanted to punch him in the face. "There's clothes, food, toys, doctor's appointments, housing…. No one's asking you to do this, Cooper."

The man's hand closed on Blaine's arm, gently trying to tug him away from his momentarily stunned brother, the police officer reaching down to help him, the two of them pulling the youngest Anderson away with as much strength as they could muster so that they didn't hurt him. But, still, Blaine was screaming and crying and yelling his voice hoarse. "Please don't let them take me, Cooper!"

Cooper snapped out of it, jolting forward and grabbing his brother away from them with a surprising show of strength, his arm tight around Blaine's waist and his eyes glaring at the police officer and man, a protective hatred in them. No one should ever make Blaine scream like that. It was one of the most terrifying things in the world that he had ever heard. "Cooper..." The man trailed off, a long suffering sigh passing through his lips.

"Mister Anderson, please." The officer tried again. Cooper just ignored her, focusing his attention on his sobbing younger brother, the boy shaking in his arms.

Cooper pulled away from Blaine for a moment to stare into his face, wet with tears and red from exertion. "I won't let them take you away from me, okay? They can't touch us. I'm eighteen. They can't separate us." Blaine snuffled, nodding quickly and hugging Cooper tightly around the neck, burying his face in the skin there and trying to control his cries.

* * *

**Year one - I**

The first week was the hardest thing Cooper had ever been through.

First he had to figure out what he was doing with college and when he talked to his advisor about the family dorms they have on campus she politely informed him that family dorms meant single mothers who have babies, not teenage fathers who have a four year old little brother to take care of.

"What are your options for family housing?" Cooper tried to keep his voice level as the question popped out of his mouth.

Mindlessly he twirled the cord around his finger, biting his bottom lip and trying not to let it show in his voice how worried he was. "There's family housing for single mothers or fathers of newborns to three year olds on campus."

"B-But what about emergency housing? I mean… my brother's just been left in my custody and-."

"And how old is your brother, sir?" The woman's bored voice crooned through the phone.

"He's four but he's a great kid and he's really quiet-."

"I'm sorry, but our policy states that we can only allow children from newborn to age three."

"But if you could just try to make an exception-."

"We can't. If we made an exception for you we would have to make an exception for everyone."

"Please just-."

"Is there anything else I can help you with, sir?"

Cooper let out a long suffering sigh and let his eyes slip shut, feeling a lump form in his throat and tears burn at the corner of his eyes. "I'm going to have to cancel my admission to your school for the fall semester."

When the woman took his information she sounded almost guilty and, before she hung up, her voice was softer and kinder than it had been before. "I'm sorry you won't be joining us in the fall, Mister Anderson."

He forced himself to thank her without his voice breaking and he cried when he hung up the phone.

Big, gasping sobs where his whole body shook and it hit him that "oh my God this is real. They're really gone". He tried to keep himself quiet because he didn't want Blaine to hear and start worrying like he had the night before where he basically made himself stop breathing from panic. He buried his head in his knees and let himself slip down from the couch onto the floor, perpetual misery settling into his bones.

He was only eighteen – no longer a child in the eyes of the law, but still a child in the eyes of everyone else – what made him think that he could do this? He was supposed to do great things. He was supposed to go far. He was supposed to become this famous actor and get the girl and get out of this shit state and live somewhere better – somewhere glamorous.

And, instead, he was stuck in Ohio. He was stuck trying to figure out how he was supposed to take care of a four year old. He was stuck having to give up his dreams because he acted on impulse and out of hatred of the screams that tore from his brother's throat.

Cooper let out a small sniffle, hugging his knees tighter and trying to pull himself together when he heard Blaine's almost silent footsteps as the boy made his way downstairs.

Which reminded him… what were they going to do about the house? Surely, Cooper wouldn't have enough money to stay there.

He shut his eyes and covered his mouth with a shaking hand, tears leaking down his cheeks and a sob trying to push its way out of his throat. Blaine couldn't know what was going on. Cooper couldn't let Blaine know what's going on. It would only scare him more than he was already scared. Not that Cooper wasn't terrified himself.

He heaved in a deep breath, scrubbing at the tears on his cheeks and heaving a deep breath, standing on shaky legs and hanging up the phone.

Soon enough he wouldn't have enough money to pay for the electric bill or all the other stuff that would need to be paid in a house as big as this one.

He would need to ask his boss for more hours – work full time instead of part time and work his ass off to get that raise. He would have to make sure Blaine was enrolled in school for the next year. Most of all, Cooper had to step up. He had to figure this all out.

If he didn't he would have to think about things that he didn't want to think about.

**II**.

"Why aren't mommy and daddy home yet, Coop?" Blaine had asked him two weeks later when they were having dinner – something simple because Cooper really wasn't the best cook ever, but Blaine wasn't going to be complain about being fed chicken nuggets and French fries over something fancy like chicken cordon bleu or something. Cooper looked up from his plate, a frown on his face and his blue eyes wide.

How was he supposed to explain to a four year old that their parents were gone and probably never coming back by their own will when it was something that he didn't understand all the way himself?

Cooper took a bite out of his chicken nugget to avoid answering right away, his brain searching for a suitable answer even though he couldn't come up with one. Why weren't they home? Why had they left? Why did they think that it would be smart to leave Blaine in Cooper's flawed care? Cooper could barely take care of himself!

In all honesty, Cooper wasn't sure why their parents had left. He wasn't sure and he wished he was. And Cooper had never lied to Blaine before and he didn't feel right lying to him now. Not about this. "I don't know." He said softly, looking over at his little brother whose feet didn't even touch the ground of their kitchen yet.

Gosh, Blaine was so small.

They were silent for a moment, neither of them making a motion to eat any more food. Actually, Cooper noticed with a frown, Blaine had barely touched his dinner. It had probably taken all of Blaine's will power to even eat as much as he had when he had these worries on his mind. "Is it because I spilled my milk?"

Cooper frowned. "What?" But Blaine's eyes were watering and Cooper knew it was some weird, messed up, kid-logic that had infected his brother's brain and there was not really anything he can do about that. Not if he didn't fully understand what it was Blaine was asking him.

"Before they left. At dinner. Mommy gave me a glass of milk and I wasn't paying attention and I knocked over the glass and it broke and the milk when everywhere and daddy was so angry a-and m-mommy y-yelled a-a-and-." Blaine's voice was frantic and tears were spilling over his cheeks and Cooper didn't really know what to do except pull Blaine onto his lap and hold him tightly. God, this was hard for him but this must all be so confusing for a four year old.

"No. Shh." Cooper rocked him in his arms and he felt closer to Blaine than he had ever been before, because, really, they were all the other had anymore. "Mom and dad… I don't know why they left. But I know it wasn't your fault, Blaine."

"How do you know?" Blaine croaked from where his face was buried in Cooper's shirt, soaking it so much that Cooper could feel it on his skin already.

"I…" Cooper trailsed off because he didn't know. He didn't know if his parents left because of Blaine or because of him or because they were just stupid and decided that two kids were too much for them to handle. All he knew was that he couldn't let Blaine believe that it was his fault. It would kill the kid. Cooper knew his brother – he knew that Blaine had such a large, impressionable heart. He wouldn't understand. "Because I'm your big brother. And I would never lie to you."

"But you just said that you didn't know!" But, then again, if there was anything that Blaine was it wasn't stupid. "If you don't know how do you know it's not my fault?"

He made a point – one that Cooper had made to himself minutes before – yet, still, Cooper couldn't let him think that their parents left because of him. "Because I'm still here. And if they left because of you, I would have done the same." Blaine pulled his head away from Cooper's chest, his eyes wide and teary and curious and maybe a bit confused. "And there is nothing you could do to get me to leave you." Cooper ran his hand along Blaine's curls, smiling at his younger brother and pulling him back into a hug as more tears started to flow down Blaine's cheeks.

Cooper couldn't help the few that escape his own eyes, but he simply hugged Blaine closer and told him that it wasn't his fault and lets their food grow cold sitting out on the table.

**III**.

Getting Blaine enrolled in school was almost more work than it was worth.

Somehow, over the summer, the two of them had become almost inseparable and Cooper couldn't help wondering if that was what it was like with any parent and their child. But he couldn't exactly think about that very far because he had to get Blaine enrolled in school and Blaine was basically refusing to step foot in the school. So Cooper picked him up and slung him over his shoulder, carrying him into the school's office, smiling over at the secretary – who smiled back with an almost adoring look on her face when Blaine let out a small giggle – and placing his brother onto the row of chairs in the office. Blaine looked up at him, his eyes wide in something that screamed betrayal and Cooper couldn't help smirking at him. He won. The end.

"Hi." Cooper greeted the secretary after making sure Blaine was all set for the moment, a book open on his knees. "Is this were I go to get a kid enrolled for next year?"

The secretary – Mrs. Grilem from what her name plate read on her desk – gave him a look of curiosity, her eyes drifting over to Blaine before falling back onto him. "Was he a student here for his previous years of schooling?"

"Yeah. Preschool." Cooper glanced over his shoulder again at Blaine, noting how the younger boy was staring at them with wide hazel eyes, his cheeks blushing when he noticed that he had been caught, looking back down at his book quickly. Cooper chuckled softly to himself. "So… is that going to make this a problem?"

"No, no." Mrs. Grilem shook her head, a tiny disarming smile on her face. "It will make things much easier actually. He should have been automatically enrolled at the end of last year, I can check the contact information if you like?"

"Please?" Cooper smiled back at her, looking behind him again, almost afraid that if he didn't constantly check on Blaine he would disappear into thin air.

"What's his name?" She asked politely, nodding over at Blaine.

"Oh! Blaine. Blaine Anderson." The little boy perked up a bit at his name, glancing at them in curiosity before going back to his book, his mouth moving to shape out the words.

She nodded. "And that would make you… Paul?" She glanced up at him from where her fingers had been typing away at the keyboard, a question on her face.

Cooper pushed back the rush of pain that came from his father's name. "No." She looked at him in confusion and almost worry before glancing back down at the computer.

"It says here that Blaine Anderson's father is named Paul Anderson-."

"Well, yes. But I'm Blaine's guardian now." Cooper rushed to reassure, watching as her eyebrows rose higher into her hair line.

"And who are you?"

"Oh god, I didn't introduce myself did I? No wonder you look so freaked." He laughed at himself. "I'm Cooper Anderson. Blaine's older brother."

"And he's in your custody now?" She asked slowly.

"Yes." Cooper nodded sternly, trying to figure out if he should be defensive or disarming. The woman didn't seem as though she would have appreciated either one of those. "I don't really want to go into why that is, but my parents have left Blaine in my care until further notice."

"Do you have proof of identity?" She finally asked him, after a moment of studying him.

Cooper let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding, reaching into his wallet to pull out his license and handing it over to her with a smile to match the one in the picture. She made a humming noise in the back of her throat before handing it back to him, typing some more in the computer. "Is everything all right?" He asked in worry, Blaine almost immediately picking up on it and standing next to him. Blaine pushed his face into Cooper's side and Cooper never was going to get used to his brother being this quiet was he?

"Just have to change some contact information." She answered, her eyes gaining a tender look when they floated up and caught sight of Blaine's face and Cooper's comforting hand on the back of his head. "Who do you want as the emergency contact besides you?"

They didn't have anyone besides him. And Aunt that lived out in Utah and grandparents well past the age to drive. There was their neighbor and the mother of one of Blaine's friends – Mrs. Montgomery – but Cooper wasn't going to impose on any of them. She must have sensed his distress because she skipped ahead to his cellphone number with a soft, almost pitying sigh.

Cooper felt anger prickle at his spine. He didn't want pity. Blaine and him didn't need pity. Maybe he wanted help, but he didn't want pity.

**IV**.

Christmas was rough, that first year.

Granted, everything was rough that first year, but the point still stood.

Blaine and him didn't have enough money to buy a Christmas tree, and they had downgraded to simple Cable, but it seemed that on the holiday even simple Cable channels showed Christmas specials. Cooper had wanted it to be a good day – one that wasn't stressful on either of them – but it seemed as though that wasn't going to happen.

Blaine was always a child with simple tastes, but there was only so far simple tastes could go when it came to a four year old on Christmas day.

Cooper hadn't wanted to spoil the holiday, but they simply didn't have enough money for him to spend on lavish Christmas presents. He was barely getting enough for them to eat while working at the store and the house had just popped up on the market so it wasn't as though they had even the promise of money just yet.

Cooper sighed, throwing the rag he had just used to wipe down his cash register over his shoulder and made his way into the backroom to punch out. The backroom was dark; the only light the one that shone over the company computer opened to only punch out and nothing else. He rubbed at the back of his head, typing in his exit time and staring at the computer as it slowly turned to black. With a yawn he turned back the way he came, grabbing his jacket off the hook by the door and fishing his car keys out of his pocket. First he would be picking Blaine up from Mrs. Montgomery's and then – hopefully – Blaine would be asleep enough to not realize he was being moved and Cooper could simply usher him upstairs into his bedroom and deal with the impending storm of emotions that were bound to hit the next morning. Cooper still didn't know how he was going to explain to Blaine why there were no presents waiting under the tree. If there was anything Cooper hated it was seeing his brother looking disappointed.

Cooper didn't want to ruin his innocence, but Cooper also knew what Blaine had asked Santa for in his letter to him a month earlier. And getting their parents to come back was something that he knew wasn't going to happen. It was impossible.

"Shit." He tumbled to the floor, his foot catching on the end of a display and nearly pulling it down with his body. Cooper righted it with a quick movement, his hand gripping the cans of soup and his eyes wide until they stopped shaking.

And that's when he saw it.

Stuffed under the display was a slim and small card.

Cooper dropped to his knees again, his hand reaching out to grab the plastic, feeling the raised numbers under his fingers with a frown. When he sat back on his heels and examined the piece of plastic in his hand Cooper couldn't help the small moment of fear at the sight of a credit card – a platinum card at that – that he held in his hand.

What was he supposed to do? The office door was locked now, and that meant that there was no way for him to get to the lost and found. The store would be closed for tomorrow so Cooper couldn't just leave it there….

With a long suffering sigh he slipped the card into his coat pocket and continued on his way out of the store.

He'd put it in the lost and found when he came back to work in two days. If the owner of the card hadn't canceled it by then, they would contact him and give it back to him.

Cooper climbed into his car, nodding his goodbye to the homeless man – George – and slipping him a five to go get himself a cup of coffee. George smiled at him, yelling out a thank you and a Merry Christmas before stumbling over to the 24 hour Lima Bean and Cooper pulling out of the parking space and making his way across the icy roads to the Montgomery house.

"Wes kept him up all night." Mrs. Montgomery apologized when Cooper finally made it to her house, Blaine slipping his arms into his jacket with a large yawn.

"Did he?" Cooper teased, smiling down at his younger brother, Blaine blinking up at him in a small bit of confusion before he shrugged and leaned forward to give Mrs. Montgomery a hug goodbye.

"Merry Christmas, darling." She called out to them as they pulled away, Blaine resting his forehead against the cold window and Cooper turning on the radio to one of the many stations that prided themselves in playing Christmas music.

"You excited for tomorrow?" Cooper asked Blaine after a moment of silence, glancing back at his nearly silent little brother when he reached a red light.

Blaine's forehead was creased and he merely shrugged lightly in response, staring glumly out the window. Cooper wasn't used to this – well he was used to Blaine suddenly being quiet and glum, but he wasn't used to the outright nonchalance about Christmas. Just earlier that morning Blaine had been bouncing from the walls, telling Cooper all about what Santa was going to bring him (Santa being their grandparents this year because, as previously stated Cooper had no money to do so himself). "Grandma and Grandpa are coming over early. They're bringing presents." Cooper pushed, trying to gather some sort of response from the four year old.

But Blaine said nothing.

"What do you think Santa will bring you?" Cooper tried again.

Blaine glared at him from his seat. "Santa's not real, Cooper." He snapped.

Cooper's jaw clicked shut and he suddenly felt like crying.

"That's not true, squirt." Cooper kept the devastation out of his voice as he pulled into their driveway, putting the car in park and unbuckling his seat belt, turning around to look Blaine in the eye. "Santa's as real as they come."

"Oh, come on Cooper!" Blaine yelled at him, his hazel eyes holding angry tears. "We don't even have a Chris'mas tree. Santa didn't answer my letter this year. And Santa's just a story that paren's tell their kids on Chris'mas so that they can buy them more presents. But mommy and daddy aren't here. And they're not going to be here and they used to be Santa-."

"Blaine…." Cooper's voice must have shown some of the pain he felt at his brother's words because Blaine's mouth snapped shut and his eyes were staring down at his knees, watering more than Cooper liked. Blaine hated hurting other people. He always had such a big heart….

"Santa's for babies, Cooper." Blaine crossed his arms over his chest, stubbornly looking away from his older brother. "I'm not a baby."

Cooper shut his eyes painfully and turned back to the windshield, reaching up to wipe away the tear that had slid down his cheek, noticing that Blaine was doing the same from his mirror before he pushed open his door and went around to Blaine's to let him out of the car seat.

It was around midnight when Cooper remembered the card he had in his jacket pocket and he looked out the window at the gentle snow. His fingers ran across the raised numbers and letters, spelling out the owner's name: _Evan Jefferies_.

He bit his lip, closing his eyes tightly and trying to ignore the pull in his stomach.

With a sigh he slipped the card back in his pocket and started up the stairs to his bedroom, stopping in to check on Blaine for a moment, staring at his brother's calm face as he hugged his Simba to his chest, his curls spewed across his blue pillow case, his eye lashes fluttering against his cheeks. He was breathing softly to himself and, suddenly, that pull was back in Cooper's stomach and he was running downstairs, grabbing his jacket and the card and running out the door, trying to be as quiet as was possible.

He started his car, driving off towards the local Walmart, thankful that it was still packed with last minute Christmas shoppers and grabbing a carriage, running inside. He grabbed toys off the shelves, clothes off the hangers, food, and an artificial Christmas tree. Nervously he tapped the credit card on his fingers, biting his lip and loading his things onto the conveyer belt.

The total was more than Cooper had expected, and with a stiff hand he handed the card to the cashier. He took it back with a thoughtful frown, taking the pen the cashier handed him and looking at the picture of the signature from where she had placed it on the receipt upside down.

And, like that, it was as though he was forging his father's signature on that detention slip he had gotten a year before. It was as though he was in art class, copying the handwriting of many a famous person and dazzling Katie with his handiwork.

Cooper had always been good at art.

He handed the signed receipt to the cashier with a smile, took the card back, and pushed the carriage out of the Walmart, trying not to make the pounding of his heart as noticeable as it was to him. "Sir!" Cooper stilled at the sound of a man's voice calling out to him, his shoulders stiff as he turned around to face the security guard, a charming smile on his face.

If he was caught that was it.

He was going to jail and Blaine would be put in foster care. His parents would have won when they left them. Blaine would be all alone. Cooper would have broken his promise.

"You dropped your keys." The man held the keys out to him and Cooper let out a breath of relief, reaching forward to take them. The security officer's eyes narrowed at him in suspicion. "You okay, sir? You look like you just stole all of that." He nodded at Cooper's over – the – brim carriage.

Cooper's jaw dropped open. "I-I… It's just I left my brother at home and I don't want him to see me with all this stuff-."

The security officer laughed, handing him his keys and patting him on the back. "I was just playing with you. Go on kid." He nodded at the sliding door. "Have a good Christmas."

"You too sir." Cooper smiled back at him, jogging over to his carriage and rushing out of the store, still worried that the security officer or the cashier would come running after him and arrest him or something.

But they didn't.

And Cooper drove away, smiling wide as he felt the warm air from the heating in his car hit him in the face as Christmas carols crooned through the radio. That was the first time his heart pounded from the rush of the con.

When Blaine's face lit up as he came down the stairs the next morning it was the first time Cooper realized the upsides to being a criminal.

* * *

**Year Two**

**I.**

The year starts off with Cooper cutting the credit card of Evan Jefferies in half and throwing it in the trash.

Then Cooper gets fired from his job.

But that's fine because Cooper had a back-up job in a restaurant that had been pushing him to be full time anyway, so he simply pushed that into place with a charming smile and called it a day. The restaurant didn't pay as well as the grocery store, but it paid well enough. Well enough at first, anyway.

Around three weeks in the problems started arriving.

In actuality the problems had been around for a long time, but it was at that moment they started showing almost obnoxiously.

And then there was Blaine… five year old Blaine who had spent the week with their grandparents to give Cooper the time to move them out of the big mansion house and into their new apartment.

He sighed, looking up from his drawing pad and staring at the array of boxes around the room. He probably should get them at least halfway unpacked by the time their grandparents dropped Blaine off. But, God, what Cooper wouldn't do for a day off from all of this.

With his eyes closed he let his thoughts drift to the life he always wanted.

Cooper had always pictured himself with Katie (so much for that now that they had broken up because of how busy he always was with Blaine and work and stuff). He had always pictured the two of them living large in some busy, bustling city. He would be an actor – or an artist, but he would do something of importance. They would both charm people into submission. They would live in an expensive flat that held a beautiful view over the whole city. He would have a best friend and they would be almost like family. It would be a great life – a relaxing life.

Cooper's eyes snapped open when a knock sounded through the door. He blinked himself back into awareness, pushing himself up off the floor and over to the door to the apartment, swinging the door open and jumping back when two arms closed around his waist and a head buried itself into his stomach. His grandparents stared at him from their side of the door, an almost frustrated look on their faces, before their grandfather's face softened and a smile pulled at his mouth. "How did the week go?" Cooper asked cautiously, wrapping his arms around Blaine's shoulders and holding him tightly.

It would be a lie if Cooper said he didn't miss Blaine's constant presence by his side.

"He was good. We had some fun." Their grandfather spoke, sending his wife a stern look. Still she didn't even look at Cooper, or Blaine, choosing instead to stare stubbornly at the elevator. "There were some hiccups. But those were nothing we couldn't deal with." The older man put his hand on Blaine's head, musing his hair, Blaine blinking up at him. "You be good for your brother, okay?"

Blaine nodded, a small smile on his face as he pulled himself away from his brother and wrapped his arms around their grandfather instead, the older man letting out a surprised "oh". "I love you grandpa." Blaine whispered in the old man's ear. Cooper pretended not to notice how his grandfather's eyes watered.

"I love you too buddy." He squeezed Blaine for a moment before letting go and shaking Cooper's hand, their grandmother not even looking in their direction as they left.

Cooper sighed, pulling Blaine against his side and leading him into the house, his suitcase dragging after him.

Later that night Cooper was clearing out the boxes in Blaine's new room when something fell out of his brother's suitcase – meticulously packed by their grandmother, of course. The gold glittered in the light coming from the window and Cooper glanced at Blaine passed out on his bed before leaning down to pick it up. He ran his finger against the shinning metal, remembering when he used to stare at the medal as it hung up in his parents' bedroom. A medal of appreciation. A medal of participation.

He shut his eyes and tried to ignore the pull of tears that sprung to his eyes.

He hadn't cried about what happened with his parents since three months into their "trip". He wasn't going to start now.

He swallowed hard and placed the medal on Blaine's empty dresser. If Blaine wanted to keep it – if he wanted to believe that their father was a hero – than he could. For a little while at least.

**II.**

It had been a week and Cooper still couldn't get the image of that medal out of his mind. He didn't know what it was but the idea of becoming a police officer was overtaking his mind. It was drawing him in and holding him close.

"What are you thinking about?" Gina – his coworker – asked as she slid in beside him behind the counter. His sketch pad sat in front of him, a half done piece that drew the empty corner of the restaurant that Blaine usually sat in doing his school work until Cooper finished up his shift, his pencil dangling from his fingers.

"The police." Cooper stated simply, sending a smile her way as she stared down at the picture.

"Because it's a crime to draw like that when some of us would kill for that talent?" She asked absentmindedly, winking at him and tapping the paper. Cooper rolled his eyes, closing the pad with a flick of his wrist.

"No." He turned to face her, his back resting against the counter. "I'm thinking of joining the police force."

Her eyes went comically wide, her motherly instincts instantly showing through. "Cooper, darling-."

"I can't support both me and Blaine on a waiter's salary forever and you know that, Gina."

"So become an artist. Sell something." She shook her head at him. "But don't become a police officer."

"Why not?" Cooper furrowed his eyebrows. "My father was a police officer." He reached out to take one of her plates so that she didn't spill them everywhere.

She smiled at him gratefully. "And you don't want to turn out like him, do you?"

Cooper sighed. "That's not the point." He smiled at the woman they were serving, his blue eyes glittering in the artificial way they tended to do around customers (besides his regular – Miranda – an old lady who adored both him and Blaine and was a retired teacher. He tended to catch her helping Blaine with his homework.). He held the door to the backroom open for Gina, following her in a moment later. "I was never against being a cop. I just didn't want to do it when things like acting and being an artist were an option."

"And they still are an option." She pressed, slipping off her apron and opening her locker, smiling a bit at the picture of her three children and husband that stared back at her.

"No they're not." He leaned against the lockers in a manner that somehow managed to make him look like a kicked puppy. His curls fell into his blue eyes, obscuring them from view. "I can't afford to live my dreams when I have to take care of Blaine."

She sighed herself, leaning against her locker so that she was facing him. "Now you listen to me. If you think that being a cop is the only option out there for you than you're wrong. But I won't stop you from going for it if it's what you really want. But I think you should think about how Blaine's going to feel about all of this. He might not be against his brother becoming a cop but he probably would be against you giving up your dreams. Especially for him. He's a smart little boy… I don't think you could keep him from figuring it out." She pat his cheek gently. "And if being a cop doesn't work out and neither does acting or art you could always become a con man."

She winked at him before walking away, her jacket thrown over her shoulders. "Why a con man?" He called out, a small smile on his face.

"You have the smile for it." She laughed at him as the door swung shut behind her.

**III.**

Cooper had a plan.

A good plan if you were to ask him.

He was going to become a cop – the Police Academy wasn't too expensive and with the money that their grandparents sent when they found out what he had planned was any indication he wouldn't have to pay for any of it.

Somewhere in Cooper's plan there was a part where he could use his acting skills and art skills to his own ability. Maybe he would become a sketch artist. Maybe he would become a world renowned police officer, known for helping out when he could with everyone's case. Blaine would have a new family within the police department, just like Cooper used to have when their father was still a cop. All the other cops would love him because Blaine was an adorable kid. Cooper would meet some nice, pretty girl when he was in training and they would get married. She would love Blaine too, because no way was Cooper going to stay with her if she didn't like Blaine.

It would be great. He would be loved and no one would leave him. He would be able to protect Blaine from the pain that came from people leaving again.

Cooper closed his eyes and leaned back in their couch, a smile on his face at the soft noises of Blaine playing in the kitchen instead of doing his homework. He probably should go in and stop him from doing that but Blaine was doing so good in school and he deserved some sort of break so Cooper simply pretended he heard nothing and went back to planning his – their future.

He would have to stay in Ohio – that was the only downside to this whole plan. But he figured he could leave when Blaine went to college. Finally move out to some city just like he always wanted. But Blaine would go to a really good high school – maybe somewhere like Dalton Academy for Boys – and he would be popular and loved and important. He would make their parents regret ever leaving them when he met some beautiful boy – or girl but Cooper couldn't see that happening ever – on a staircase and sang some cheesy pop song to him and they fell in love in high school. Blaine would fall in love so quickly and easily because that was the kind of person Blaine would be. And Cooper would watch it all from a distance with a large smile on his face and with wide arms for if he was ever needed to hand out hugs.

And they would be happy.

That's what Cooper mostly wanted. For them to be happy. And that could all happen so long as he became a cop.

A knock on their door startled him out of his daydream, a smile still on his face from the future he had just imagined. He waved Blaine back to his homework when he walked by the kitchen, opening the door and blinking at the woman that stared back at him. She was blonde, not very tall but not very short, a kind look on her face, and many wrinkles from all the stress her job had created for her.

Cooper hadn't seen her in years.

"Auntie Ellen!" Blaine came running out of the kitchen, almost slamming into their father's old partner but Cooper stopped him, his arm grabbing onto the back of Blaine's shirt and his eyes sternly looking at the woman in his doorway. She straightened up from where she had knelt down to catch his catapulting little brother, a look of saddened business on her face.

"Cooper." She smiled at him but it was as fake a smile as Cooper had seen. Not that she wasn't happy to see him – no Cooper could tell she was by the look in her eyes. "Hey Blaine." She reached out to ruffle his curls but Blaine must have sensed Cooper's trepidation because he leaned away from her hand and into Cooper's legs, his hand closing around the two that Cooper had linked around his shoulders. "Listen boys…." She sighed, glancing behind herself at the empty hallway. "Can I come in?" She directed the question at Cooper who nodded silently after a moment of deliberation.

They moved into the house, Cooper and Blaine not disconnecting for a moment until Ellen sat herself down on their couch, Cooper patting Blaine's back and telling him to go finish his homework. Blaine, thankfully, didn't bother telling him that he had finished his homework half an hour ago and just wandered back into the kitchen where he could hear everything but see nothing.

The chair squeaked as Blaine sat down in it, his hands opening a page in his notebook and staring down at the halfhearted lyrics in distaste. Cooper's birthday was coming up and Blaine wanted to get him the best present ever, and his music teacher had told him that writing a song for his older brother would probably be the best present Cooper had ever gotten and that she would help him with the rest of it once he got the lyrics down. Blaine was apparently a natural when it came to the piano and some other musical instruments and that couldn't make him happier.

But, right now, Blaine wasn't happy. He was confused and sad and a little annoyed. He was confused because Auntie Ellen hadn't shown her face around them for the past two years, including last year when it would have been nice to have her around. Maybe than she could have taken him in and Cooper still could have gone to school. He was sad because Cooper wasn't happy to see her and he had a feeling she had left because of something his parents had done. Just like everyone else. And he was annoyed because Cooper had basically called him a child once more by not allowing him to be in the room while he and Auntie Ellen talked. Not that Blaine was saying that he wasn't a child – because he was – but he wasn't that much of a child. Not anymore. And he wanted to know why she was there just as much as Cooper did.

"Nice place you have here." Auntie Ellen commented from somewhere in the living room and Blaine silently pushed himself out of the chair and over to the doorway where he could see some of the living room. Cooper was standing with his back to Blaine, his arms crossed over his chest. Auntie Ellen stood by their tableside where Cooper had put up some pictures and stuff to make the place look more lived in and welcoming or something. Either way, Blaine liked that table the most because it had pictures of him and Cooper and their friends and none of their parents.

Their grandfather's army picture was there too. Blaine liked that picture the most – he had one that was exactly like that one in his own bedroom right next door to Cooper's.

"It's enough for now." Cooper said absentmindedly, tension clear in his voice and shoulders.

"I can't believe what your father did, Cooper-."

"Why are you here?" Cooper cut her off almost coldly. "If you had your apologies or wanted to help you could have shown up a year ago. Obviously you don't. So why are you here?"

Auntie Ellen shifted uncomfortably and Blaine bit at his lip. He was on Cooper's side on almost everything – but he didn't like seeing Auntie Ellen so sad. "I heard that you're planning on becoming a police officer."

Blaine's breath stuttered and his eyes shifted to Cooper's tense position. When had Cooper decided that? He hadn't told him – he hadn't mentioned anything about becoming a police officer! "I am." Cooper nodded stiffly. "I'm starting at the academy next month. Why?"

"Do you know why your father stopped being a cop, Coop?" She asked instead of answering.

"No." Cooper shook his head slowly. "But I don't really care to know either."

"He was dirty." Cooper fell back against the couch; sitting down in the seat heavily in what Blaine knew was shock.

They were silent for a long moment. "You're lying." Cooper sounded as though he was ready to cry – or that he was crying already. Blaine's stomach twisted painfully. He never liked it when Cooper cried.

Auntie Ellen dropped down in front of Cooper, her hand closing around his and her head ducking to find his eyes. "I'm so sorry, baby." She whispered her own voice close to tears. "I was never planning on telling you-"

"What did he do?" Cooper choked out and whatever it was that their father had done it must have been so very bad.

"Cooper…" Auntie Ellen trailed off.

"Why haven't you been here?" Blaine couldn't stop himself from asking, startling both adults. Cooper quickly wiping at his eyes and Auntie Ellen's eyes wide as she stared at him from the doorway.

"Blaine go finish your homework." Cooper tried to sound stern but it didn't really work. Cooper was always protecting him from things, and now Blaine figured it was his turn to return the favor. Or something.

"No." Blaine snapped at his older brother, trying to push back the bratty tone of voice that came with it. Cooper looked startled; him and Cooper had never really fought since their parents left. Blaine had never really disobeyed him since their parents left. "You left. Just like everyone else."

He pushed back to tears that threatened to spill down his cheeks. Blaine was trying to be strong, not a baby by crying. "Blaine…." And it seemed as though Cooper was doing the same, his eyes shining dangerously, his breath stuttering with the longer Blaine just stood there and stared at Auntie Ellen, demanding answers that she probably couldn't give.

"I'm in witness protection." She supplied with a shake of her head. "Your parents… they left because they were being investigated-."

Blaine didn't know what that meant but he didn't like the sound of it. "What does that mean?" Blaine demanded, stomping his foot.

"Stop." Cooper told their father's old partner, turning back to Blaine and holding out a hand for him to take. But Blaine refused to take it.

"What does it mean?" He tried again, trying not to sound bratty or whiny. He wanted to sound like an adult. He wanted to sound like he understood what was going on because, maybe, if he did, he would. Maybe he would finally understand why their parents had left them alone.

"It means that your father did something very bad, and your mother wanted to help him get away with it." Auntie Ellen supplied evenly, her eyes locked onto Blaine's tiny stubborn figure. "And I was going to help the other police take them in for it but your parents decided to run. I had to be protected from the people your father was working with so I wasn't allowed to see you boys-."

"Stop." Cooper nearly yelled at her.

"I don't understand." None of this was making any sense and Blaine could feel tears tickle at his eyes and a lump grow in his throat, no matter how hard he tried to push it down.

"They're moving me again in a few weeks so I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to contact your boys again, but this time I wanted to do it right and say goodbye-."

"_Please stop_!" Cooper finally yelled and Blaine froze because Cooper was crying and Cooper never cried. Auntie Ellen froze too, sitting back on her heels and her blue eyes wide. "Don't you understand? You're _not helping_."

"Cooper…" She tried to speak softly, reaching out a hand to touch his own but Cooper was suddenly standing up, his hands clenched in fists by his sides stubbornly and his body blocking Blaine from her view.

"He doesn't understand what you're saying. Our parents left _last year_." She stood to face him herself, her expression full of despair. "I'm all he has and he's all I have. You can't just barge in here and tell us about how our father was a dirty cop and left because he didn't want to get arrested. He still was a hero in Blaine's eyes and you… You have just _crushed_ that."

Auntie Ellen started to say something but Cooper just shook his head and pointed at the door. She nodded, understanding what he was saying and walking closer to him, wrapping him in a tight hug and handing him a slip of paper, smiling at Blaine over his big brother's shoulder and leaving, shutting the door softly behind her.

And then it was just the two of them, Blaine's heart breaking just a little bit more with each gasping breath that passed between Cooper's lips as his brother tried – and failed – to hold back his pain.

In all honesty, Blaine hadn't really seen their father as a hero for months, but perhaps Cooper had. Cooper had known him when he was a police officer. He had known him when his father brought home a gun and badge instead of a brief case and secretary.

"Coop…." Blaine was also afraid to confront his brother when he was like this, but he was willing to give it a shot.

"Go finish your homework, Bee." Cooper's miserable voice told him, but Blaine made no motion to listen, instead wrapping his arms around Cooper's midsection and shutting his eyes as Cooper fell to his knees and pulled him closer, his grip almost bruising but also comforting. Blaine pressed his face into his brother's hair as Cooper cried into his neck.

How many dreams had Cooper given up for him? How many dreams would Cooper keep giving up for him?

**IV. **

A month later Cooper had no game plan.

The restaurant had closed because the owner had been going bankrupt for a long time and hadn't bothered telling any of the employees. That left Cooper out of job and unemployment was only giving him enough money so that he could pay the bills.

Blaine knew how bad of a situation they were in and Cooper knew that if any of Blaine's teachers picked up on it and called the wrong people Blaine would no longer be in his custody. Cooper couldn't let that happen.

It was with caution and a heavy heart that Cooper took to credit card scams. He had heard about them on television and had done some research at the local library and had found more information than should have been readily available.

He had also found out about some tricks that were available for keeping a "con" together. And then he wasn't simply doing credit card scams anymore but he was pick pocketing. He was walking down the street and slipping his hand into people's coats to grab their wallets. He was walking into people and simultaneously taking their valuables.

It seemed as though he had a knack for this sort of stuff.

And, what's more, they had money. They had actual money.

Blaine had no clue what it was that Cooper was doing (or so Cooper thought Blaine had no clue what it was he was doing, but, as previously stated, Blaine was a smart kid), and all he knew was that suddenly they had money to afford extra stuff. Cooper could bring him clothes shopping without having to look at the clearance rack all the time.

And within a week Cooper would throw out the credit cards he had been using and take others.

Currently, the two of them were sitting in an art museum in Columbus, Cooper sketching a copy of a Matisse with a practiced hand. Blaine was sitting beside him, trying to do the same thing, but his pictures were never as good as his brother's.

Cooper smiled gently at him, patting Blaine's back when he asked if he could go to the bathroom that was right across the hall from them, nodding before going back to his work.

He jumped when a hand clamped down on his shoulder, breaking him out of his thoughts. He glanced up, his eyes taking in the man in the nice suit and easy smile as he slid himself onto the bench beside Cooper. "Nice drawing you've done there." The man nodded at Cooper's sketch pad and the half-finished sketch of the Matisse in front of them.

"Thank you." Cooper's cheeks heated a bit not used to praise when it came to his art.

"You're very good at that." The man commented again once Cooper had gone back to his drawing.

"Thank you." Cooper thanked him again, glancing behind him to see if Blaine was done yet and, indeed, he was. But it seemed as though his brother had made a new friend – a small boy with perfectly swooped brown hair and an impeccable outfit on. Blaine waved at Cooper to let him know that he saw him and Cooper waved back, a small smile on his face before he turned back to his drawing.

"Is he yours?" The man asked, nodding towards Blaine.

Cautiously Cooper raised his eyes to the man, his heart picking up speed. For some reason he didn't trust this man in the least. Not since he had brought Blaine up. "Yes." He answered shortly. Maybe if he just went back to his drawing the man would leave him alone.

It seemed as though the man couldn't take the hint – or he didn't want to take the hint. "It must be tough to raise him all by yourself." Cooper tried not to let his agitation or worry show. "Must be hard to get the money you need." The man trailed off again and Cooper's pencil stilled against the paper. "Give me a call if you get tired of credit card scams and pick-pocketing." The man slid a slim, business card onto Cooper's sketch pad before standing up, straightening his suit, and walking down the hallway, his hands in his pockets.

_Nicholas Kelly._ Said the name on the card, a number printed under it. Nothing else. Nothing to clue Cooper into anything more about this mysterious man.

But Cooper wasn't sure if he wanted to know more so he simply ripped the pencil sketch out of his pad and threw it in the trash, telling Blaine that they had to leave and walking them back to the apartment. On the whole way home Blaine didn't stop talking about the boy he met – Kurt – and Cooper didn't stop thinking about the business card he had tucked in the pocket of his pants.

**V.**

It's safe to say that Cooper called that man – Nicholas Kelly – a week later.

Cooper was then recruited into a six man team of con men and they needed him to do a forged painting of the Matisse he had been staring at so they could steal the real one and sell it.

He was set to get 1/6th of the profits. Which was a big fat five hundred thousand dollars.

More money than he had made in a year.

Blaine didn't know what was going on this time, all he knew was that Nicholas and the rest of Nicholas's team started coming over for dinner to talk about the con because Cooper's place was apparently the only one open for such dealings. Blaine was sent to his room every time they were over. Blaine had an idea of what was going on but he wasn't about to confront Cooper about it because Cooper had looked so happy and had promised him that they would have enough money to redecorate his whole room, just like Blaine had been wanting it done for a while now.

The con went off without a hitch, and Cooper got his money and they all shook hands and promised that if they needed anything for a job like that again they would contact one another again.

But then things started going wrong and, somehow, Cooper's name had been dropped and the police were asking questions.

And Cooper knew he couldn't charm his way out of this meeting with the police. He had no job and he had recently been awarded a shit ton of money.

So he did the only thing he could think of.

He packed up his and Blaine's stuff, took the money, bought a car under a fake name, got Blaine into the car, and ran.

Three months later, Cooper Anderson was declared dead (thanks to Cooper's ever increasing skill in forgery) and Blaine Anderson was declared missing.

And in a tiny apartment in New York City, Neal George Caffrey and Blaine Evan Caffrey were created.

* * *

**A: N – **Where to go from here…. Do people like it? Heeeeh?


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